Chapter 6 Language & Cultural Identity

1. Chapter 6Language & Cultural Identity

2. Cultural Identity • The association of language with a person’s sense of self. • A natural connection between language spoken by members of a social group & that group’s identity (by accent- voc- discourse patterns) / speakers identified as members • Membership to a social/discourse comm. Draws: • Strength & pride • Social importance • Historical continuity

3. How do we define which group one belongs to? • In isolated homogeneous communities, Members are: who share common cultural practices and daily face-to-face interactions. • Difficult to define boundaries in modern open mixed societies / Clip # 28 • E.g. Old (Trobrianders) tribes vs. modern open societies • 1/ Group Identity: • Group identities based on race Not easy to define: • Many genetic differences • E.g. between members of the same White/Black race

4. 2/ Regional identity • equally difficult to define • E.g. population of France/ “a multinational state.. It is one nation, the product of a long history” • 3/ National Identity: • Never clear-cut/ citizenship • E.g. Turkish passport vs. Turkish national identity

5. One language = one culture • (not always true) • Individuals assume several collective identities/ are likely to change over time. - e.g. Immigrants (Turkish)/ ‘long distance nationalism’/ sense of self linked to country of origin- political views…/ nostalgia ‘old country’/’long distance nationalism’/ language differs/ ‘imagined community’

6. Cultural Stereotypes • Our perception of someone’s social identity is culturally determined. • Diffusion: • Stereotypes are formed by extending the characteristics of one person (or group ..) To all. • E.g. • ‘All Americans are individualists’ • ‘All Chinese look alike.’ • Clip # 29

7. Examples • 1. When one’s impression is focused by the classificatory concepts prevalent in his society • E.g. The official Singaporean ethnic categories: Chinese, Malay, Indian

8. 2. Societies impose racial & ethnic categories only on certain groups. • E.g. Danish women vs. African-American boy/ he used ‘race’ to identify his cultural identity but they depended on language. • 3. The complex language- cultural identity relationship • E.g. Chinese speak languages/ dialects that are mutually not understood but still identify themselves all as ethnically Chinese.

9. Language Crossing as Act of Identity • One way of surviving culturally in immigration settings • E.g. Arabs in Paris- Pakistanis in London • Code-switching/ to change footing/ to show solidarity or distance with other discourse communities • By crossing languages, speakers perform cultural acts of identity • E.g. two 12-year olds mexicans in the American school/ ‘piano’ • Clip # 31 • Intonation/ mock or distance

10. Linguistic nationism • The association of one language variety with the membership in one national community. • E.g. The French Academy (francophone) • Clip # 33 • The intellectual language of scientific research monitors proper English use in scientific circles by Anglo-American journals. • Nation states try to overcome the tendency to separate the identities of subcultures by refocusing national identity either around a national language or around the concept of multiculturalism. / mutual linguistic understanding/ cultural homogeneity • Also the use of ‘one and only one language’ can be to exclude outsiders & as a sign of political allegiance./ a sign of monolingual pride ‘I had ten years of French and still cant speak…’/ suspicion around bi-multilinguals

11. Standard language, cultural totem • Standard language: • The way national identity is expressed • Created from a multiplicity of dialects • One variety of language is selected/ taught in national educational systems/ protected by official grammars & dictionaries/ indicator of insiders & outsiders • Barbarism: • Denotes any use of language that offends contemporary standards of correctness. • E.g. Ancient Greeks / ‘barbarian: an alien from an inferior culture’/ when language is not Greek • National Academies/ misuse of standard language considered a moral offence/ e.g. ‘butchering’ or ‘slaughtering’ a language.

12. Language acquires a symbolic value beyond its pragmatic use and becomes a totem of a cultural group. • Exercise of national or colonial power/ when one language is imposed over others. • E.g. English over Spanish in New Mexico/ spread of English as an international language

13. Linguistic & cultural imperialism • Linguicism: • ideologies and practices which are used to impose powerbetween groups which are defined on the basis of language. • E.g. English linguistic imperialism (a type of linguicism)/ regarding language as a source of power/ using it on a world-wide scale ‘globally’. • Clip # 34 • Linguistic rights have to be upheld • Threat of the monopoly of one language over the others • One to one relationship bet culture & language • Each language is unique/ the ppls unique means for comprehending the world